Take-off and landing apparatus for aeroplanes



cL-m 2929, M J, VERRE? TAKE-OFF AND LANDING APPARATUS' FOR AERoPLANEs Filed Sept. 18. 1928 QM. oN. ,0%

wmwttoz jJ/J @mi NWI., E@ y N, J; VERET LS TA'KEI--QFF v AND lLANDING APPARATUS FOR AEROPLANES Nov. 26, l 929. N. J. v ERR- r 1,737,483

TAKE-OFF AND LANDING APVPARATUS FOR AEROPLANES Filed sept 18, 1929s` 5 sheets-sheet 3 INVENTUR ATTKN Y Patentes. Nenne. reas 'Y monotas a. imma, or nniarnrs, TENNESSEE 'rana-.oar am) LANDING winnares non Annoritnnns Application led. September 18, 1928. Serial No. 306,635,

vide an apparatus occupying comparatively` small space for starting an aeroplane in its ie fiight and catching the same in landingand y which will also provide for'safely teaching the art of flying as well as provide a means for encouraging those to use' an aeroplane who may be timid in undertaking a regular 15 trip, 4the apparatus carrying the aeroplanethrough-the air at any speed and from which it may or may not be released according to the will of the operator or the wishes of the passenger or passengers.

lVith. these principal objects in View my invention contemplates an apparatus in which the aeroplane is started on its flight and caught in landing by means of an arm or beam revolving in a horizontal plane on a tower, with depending loops at the outer ends of said arm or beam with which a hook on the aeroplane engages in landing, together with a cable 'suspended from the cross arm for supporting the aeroplane until said arm revolves at the proper speedwhich will insure the onward flight ofthe aeroplane when re-v leased, the tower and revolving. cross arm supportd thereby being preferably soconstructed as to provide an observation tower and moving walkway or promenade for the .amusement and pleasure of the .general pub'- lic wit-limit'V in any way affecting its useful- `ness with regard to the main purpose of starting and landing aeroplanes in a comparatively small area. A

With this general statement of the purposes of my invention and the-:manner in which they are accomplished it will be understood that the drawings and vfollowing' description set forth certain forms in which my inventionmay be embodied,- and that further modifications or changes may be made in the general plan to attain thesame ends, all within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

1n the drawingsy Figure 1 is an elevation showing the pref ferred form of my invention.

Fig. 2^.is a plan view thereof, .parts being broken away. L

Fig. 3 is a detail view showingl the means for revolving the cross arm.

Fig. l is a similar View of the means for operating the raising and lowering cablefm. Fig. 5 is an elevation showing a modiication in the general construction of the apparatus.

Fig. 5? is a small diagrammatic View of a modification of Fig. 5 4 I Fig. 6 is a plan view of,Fig.5, with parts 'broken away.

Fig. 7 is a detail view of means for operating the driving propellers of the cross arm.

F ig.v 8 is an enlarged detail view of the aeroplane carrie;` at one end of the cross arm.

Fig. 9 isa plan view thereof.

Fig. 1() is a vertical sectional viewthrough, the aeroplane carrier on the'line 10-10 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 11 is a View to'illustrate the catcher hook which is carried by the aeroplane.l

Fig. 12 is a detail view of the v,suspending and releasing means carried by the aeroplane; and Fig. 12a is a detail viewof the chain form- S0 ing part of the suspending and releasing means. v 'l Carrying out my invention in the form of apparatus shown in Fig. 1 l provide'a tower A comprising a steel frame having uprights 14 rising from a concrete base 15 and supporting an elevated cabin 16 of circular shape on which at the outer edge thereof are two sets of circular tracks 17 17 over whichtravel flanged traction wheels- 18 1 8 (Fig. 3) for rotatably supporting a cross arm or horizontal beam 19 projecting beyond'opposite sides `of said cabin for a considerable distance, the sald arm being centered by a vertical shaft or mast 20 stepped in a socket 21 ona platform 22 at a suitable distance below the cabin ff throughwhich latter said shaftY extends to a height forconneotin'y guy ropes or cables 23 to the upper en'dtlareof for which pur` pose a casting 24 is mounted on said upper end of the shaft. Access to :the cabin from the ground is by means ofa'n'elevator or shaft 25 itbeing 4 understood that the cabin is sta' tionary while'the cross arm revolves thereon, and in lorder to 'reach the cross arm from the cabin there is a stairway 2 6 (Fig 2) leading fromone'to the other. lhe crossarm is constructed of. steel beams?l upon which is V laid a flooring 27 tov form -a walkwayv or p m promenade-protected at its lopposite sides by -ra'ilings 2'8`with the usual balusters or palings, and in order to support the electric motors 29 which drive the, traction wheels 18 bays or platforms 30 are provided at oppo- A site sides of -the walkway and located above the circular tracks for convenience in con'- '.'necting the motors thereto through the in tervention of gearwheels 31 and 32, the'shaft 33 lfrom the motor and supporting the gear 26' wheel 31 being mounted in bearings '34, while --theshaftf34 carrying the gearwheel 32 as well as the traction wheelsv is mounted in bearings.35, .saidbearinUslandfbrackets being secured to the upper and'lowei` sides of the bay or'platform as shown in-Fig. 3, and it will bel-:understood that thisfarrangement `is duplicated at the other side of4 the walkway 'or promenade and at vthe opposite side of the cabin as shown in Fig. 2. [For the purao pose of'catchin and supporting anl aeroplane at either or bot ends of the cross arml provide a special forni of device which-is -morcclearly illustrated in Figs. 8, 9, and l()v of the drawings', and for supporting this de'- 35 vice the outer ends of the steel 'beams forming l`.the main part of the arm are extended upwardly and outwardly to kreceive between thema rectangular metal frame 36 having outwardly extending parallel arms 37 37 connected tothe outer ends 'of said beams by a cros'sbar38 `and' spaced apart for the dej pending member 39 pivoted vat its upper end on said cross bar and bifurcated at its lower lend to present diverging arms 39 39a be- '45 tween the lower ends of which is a downwardly curved rod or loop 40 on which the aeroplane is caught. .The depending member or aeroplane catcher '39 is reinforced against longitudinal movement-in the di` `rection in which the cross arm moves-by means of plates 41 curved in the arc' ofthe circle the centerof'which is the crossbar 38 and connected at their ends between the parallel arms 37, said arcuate plates being separated or spaced apart to permit movement ofthe aforesaid depending member'or aeroplane catcher and carrier between them. The depending member or carrier is pro-v vided with rollers 42 at opposite sidestherea0 of which bear on theupper edge of the auxiliary supporting plates, and it will be noted that this member or looILhas a swinging movement outward to accommodate the outward thrust 4of the aeroplane caused by centrifugal force as the cross arm rotates at a rapid rate ofspeed. For raising and lowering the aeroplane lto and from the catcherloop or carrier 39 I provide a cable 443 wound on a drum 44v (Figari) supported inbearings 45 and operated by an electric motor 46`on a -platform 47 resting on and between the rails 28 adjoining said catcher and carrier, saidmotor being geared to the drum by shaft lower end for connecting the same in any suitable manner to the aeroplane, Aas for in- .stanceby means of the catcher hook shown in- Fig. 11 and hereinafter particularly described. Although I have shown electric motors for driving the traction wheels it will be understood that any other form of power maybe used, and it will be also understood that the electric motors are connected toa suitable source of electric supply and the operation of the'same as well as their speed controlled in the -usual manner by a controller (not shown) "located in the cabin or at the motors.

I prefer, thatthe aeroplane be provided with a catcher hook such as illustrated in Fig.

11 consisting of a flat bar of metal 52 loosely connected tothe outer end of the propeller shaft 53 and presenting a vertical member extending downwardly and upwardly vin v,4S- and intermeshinggear wheels 49 and 50.

lll-rlhe vcable isl provided with a ring 51 at its |75 front ofthe propeller to lprotect the ysame with 1 :the rearwardly curvedfmember above the propeller Abentin the formv of a hook 54 thoroughly braced by tie rods 55 and '56 extending from the horizontal portion of said catcherhook to the fuselage. The bill 54a" of the hook is of a particular formationso that it will receive 'the curved rod or catcherloop40 of the aeroplane carrier 39 at the outer'endof the cross arm ofthe apparatus hereinbefore' described and be suspended from saidvcatcher-loop as thearm' is slowed .down after the aeroplane-is properly caught, the. inner end of the hook being locatediwi-th respect to the aeroplane so that the latter will be properly balanced when both the aeroplane and cross other words this auxiliary hook will hold the aeroplanebyreasonof the loop 40 engaging in the same as soon as said loop is held in the closed end of .said auxiliary hook but the latter will freely 'leave the hook Awhen the speed of the aeroplane exceeds the speed of the .arm

as will be readily understood. As'another means of suspending the aeroplane from the 'arm either in launching the same orwhen it is desired to keep it moored to the arm the raising and lowering cable may beemployed,

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in this instance in connection with the device illustrated in Figs. 12 and 12L consisting of a chain 58 with a hook 59 adapted to engage in the eye 51 on said suspending cable, 'and for detachably connecting the chain to the aeroplane itis provided with an eye 60'engaging 'a clevis 6l andiV removable pin 62 suitably located on the fuselage as for i'nstance in the v rear of the cockpit so that the pilot may lo readily disconnect said chain. I" 'inthe operation of thesap'piaratus herein- VFY-'before particularly described an aeroplanel l may) be launched either from-the catcher-loop Y40 y meansof the catcherehook 54 on the 15 aeroplane, orby means/o the raising and lowering cable 43 in connection with the releasing device on they aeroplane consisting of chain 58 and clevis 61 in either instance after thearm is speeded up so that the aeroplane will be supported by the wings fortaking off in flight it will either'automatically leave the arm, when'connected to the catcher-loop by i Y I vthe-auxiliary hook, or released by withdrawjing pin 62. In lan'ding the aeroplane iirst l" 5`fcircles-thearm and when it approximates the A.1n-speed ofsaidarm it treyelilltilthe Catcher- .A hook thereon is in the same horizbntal plane the catcher-loop, beingthen speeded up to engage thecatcher-loop and be supported -gufroln the :ari/n as the latter is brought to rest,

when said aeroplane may be lowered by means of thecable 43 operated by the electric motor 46. From this it will be-obvious that the apparatus provides a simple and effective means for starting an aeroplane in its flight and for landing the same, asthe apparatus ocupiesa'fsimall areaascompared with take- ,0E 'and landing fieldsordinarily-used, it can be located in restricted` areas or districtswith.

407V' reference to cities. Furthermore, as thearrangement'povides Jfon mooring the aerofplaiiefto. thenendef the arm passengers can 'i eip'rience all the sensation ozfffiying without .jfdanger ofuclashing/which will not only be i' .Lg-lielpfu-ltp those teo" timid to ,risk-fa., regular light but'alsoof specialservice to those learnfing to manipulate thegcontrols of aeroplanes, in both instances the speed being regulated whereby in the case oa student he can detach the aeroplanf-oirrthe-lo'op when Ahe-.hasihe required conlidence'to operate the aeroplane in flight, by speeding the ,arm to the vextent of starting him-on the Hight. It will be noted also thatjthe particular construction of the apparatus as shown in: Fig. 1 provides in addition to its usefulness inglannchingmndlanding aeroplane-sa form ot amusement or 'pleasure by persons riding in the revolving K cabin or on vthecress arm, in the latter instance the speed of travel ofthe person on the cross arm 'beingdncreased the further he goes from the'center of said arm. With respect to ggg that they areY locatedat'approximately fifty feet from the ground, and-thatuthearms are each fromV ninety to one hundred-1eet`"i'n'l length so that the speed of the outer ends of the arm is considerably greater than the speed at the center, at which latter point it is comparatively slow permitting the use ot the stairway Q6 -in reaching the promenade or walkway, the length .of the arm also provides that the outer ends thereof being approximately two VJhundred feet from each other there is no likelihood of the aeroplane trailing one arm being overtaken by the other.

'A lighter construction of apparatus is y'shown in Fig. l5 of the drawings in which the tower B mounted on the concrete base has a circular platform 66 at its upper end on which is mounted a turntable 67 carrying the cross arm 68 centeredby mast 69 to the upper -end of whichflatter guy ropes or cables 70 are Y .connected and in this instance the arm may -ployed,- as will be obvious. ln this form ofv the apparatus fone end ot the arm is shown provided with a-n aeroplane carrier, such as hereinbefore described and having catcherloop 40, and the other'end provided with a projecting bar 79--bywhichfthe aeroplane .may be suspended and :from'which it may be automatically launched when the cross arm attains v suilicient'speed to discharge theA aeroplane by centrifugal force. With the exception of this arm and location of the raisingand lowering arm the operation ofy this form of the appa-f ra'tus in starting aeroplanes and' launching 4the same is the same as-that'heretofore deconstruction is desirable infpro'viding an.ap-'- paratus for usein vinstructing persons desiring to learn the operation of flying aeroplanes, although it will be found also serv; iceablefor the simple operation of starting and landing aeroplanes. For' the purpose ot directing aeroplanes in: flight-to the landing apparatus alclustejfpflights 82 is mounted on the'rna'st, t'tlirow the light upward and thereby not intgrgtere with the Voperation of the pilot catching his aeroplane on the catcherloop, and for the further convenience of the pilot in landing at night green lights may be .placed at opposite sides of the aeroplane catcher or carrier at each end of the arm. In

the `feature of the apparatus with regard to this instance the construction of the apparathe amusement or pleasure of personsaiding/ tus may be further lightened by providing a 65 in the cabin or on the arm it may be stated single arm on vtowei` Gyas illustrated in the diagrammatic View Fig. the weightof the t arm and that of the aeroplane `to be suspended at the outer end' thereof being' overbalanced lby a weight fw. .p 5 lllt will be understoodof course that the apparatus hereinbefore described is not only adapted to be lplaced on the .ground but may be also mounted on the deck of a vessel, either v passenger Vessel for warship, but in this'latm .ter instance t ormofdeviceor apparatus 'illustratedin-,- Y .iwo'uld be more suitable. 1

. g in that the construction thereof is lighter than that shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

I claim: '1. ln combination with a cross arm revolving in a' horizontal plane andvhaving a .catchenloop at the outer end thereof, ofv a hook mounted on the outer end of the propeller shaft'ofan aeroplane, said `hook being 2o bent over the upper end of the propeller of the aeroplane and extended rearwardly theref from and terminatingin alhook with the bill -lrrieeting forwardly;

"2. ln combination with'across arm revolv- 4 *z5 ing -in a horizontal plane and having a' catcher-loopat the outer end thereof, of a `hook mounted on the outer end of the propeller shaft of an aeroplane7 saidhook being' bent over the upper end of the propellerof the aeroplane and extended` rearwardly therefrom and terminating in av hook withthe bill projecting forwardly and rearwardly to form 4an auxiliary hook, in which the main hookA opens forwardly and the auxiliary hook reari' wardly. y

. 3. Aln combination with a kcross arm revolv ing-'in .a' horizontal .'Jplane and having a catcher-loop at the outer end thereof, of a hook mounted on the outer end of the pro-4 40 peller shaft of an aeroplane and bent rearwardly over the propeller with said hook opening out forwardly, and rods bracing the rearwardly projecting portion of the hook to the fuselage. .A .4. ln combination with a cross arm revolving in a horizontal plane and having acatcher-loop at the outer end thereof, of a I hook mounted on the outer end of the propeller shaft of an aeroplane and having a ver- 5.0 tical portion extending downwardly and upwardly from said shaft with the open end of thehook at the forward end thereof. v

5. ln combination with a crossarm revolving in a horizontal plane and having ,a

catcher-loop at the outer end thereof, and a raising and lowering cable extending from a drum mounted on the arm and having al ring at its lower end, of a iexib'le connection carried by the aeroplane, a clevis and removable pin connection vsaid flexible connectlon to saidaeroplane, and a hook mounted on the outer end of the propeller shaftto extend over the propeller and terminate in a hook opening out forwardly.

Ymenores J. vnannr. 

